Graffiti becomes its own form of artistry

July 30, 2009|By RICK KAZMER, Somerset Magazine Staff Writer

It’s punishable by the force of law, regarded as vandalism by many and heralded as an art form by some.

Mural connoisseurs might consider the graffiti-spattered railroad cars that roll through Somerset County as a traveling exhibit. The colorful expressions are remnants of a culture born in part from inner-city rebellion. But for train companies it is a costly nuisance caused by vandals and trespassers.

Officials maintain it is illegal and dangerous. The distinction between art and crime, however, is a matter of opinion for most. Private property is protected by law, but so is the freedom of expression. A graffiti culture is not prevalent in Somerset County, aside of course from the unique symbols that line the ridges when trains pass by.

“I always listen to people talk about whether it’s art or crime,” said James Elston, a Johnstown artist who used to “tag” in his younger days. “My personal belief — absolutely it’s an art. It’s just a matter of where it is.”

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Elston is in his 30s now and only paints on permissioned property, which may be a middle ground in the art-form argument. Elston finds people who share his taste for spray paint and who allow him to decorate their walls. He has a tag and a throw-up, which are names and initials that are quickly painted in less than five minutes — traces of a his teenage years when he would mark desks, walls and bathrooms. Now Elston focuses on more intricate pieces.

“The thing I like about graffiti artists is their understanding of perspective and color usage,” said Elston, who has seen different styles during his time in Columbus, Ohio and Orlando, Fla.

Elston said graffiti artists view the practice as a rebellion to all of the billboards and signs that are forced upon them in the city.

“They view it as visual pollution and say, why not paint it up the way we want to see it,” he explained.

The quick tags and throw-ups are common on train cars. Elston said those forms of graffiti are also called bombs.

“There are people who only do trains. Other people only do walls,” he said. “Everybody has their thing.”

Officials at Virginia-based Norfolk Southern try to paint over profane bombs, according to company spokesman Robin Chapman. Norfolk has railways that run through the region.

“It’s in the taggers own interest not to be obscene,” Chapman said. “They want their work to endure.”

But Norfolk’s tolerance for some graffiti shouldn’t be mistaken as an invitation to paint. Somerset state police Trooper Matthew Jones said fines could cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. Penalties keep going up for repeat offenders. Chapman added that Norfolk could seek jail time for persistent painters.

Jones, however, doesn’t think anyone local is responsible for the type of graffiti that passes by on railroad cars.

“I would say they are happening somewhere else,” he said. “Not many artists here do some of the things they do.”

Canadian painter Pat Lazo has experienced the serious side of graffiti. He is an art director for Graffiti Art Programming in Winnipeg.

“I was part of that at a time. It’s not just writing your name on the wall,” he said, adding that there is an underground graffiti rail culture. “They get pretty nerdy about it.”

Lazo said exceptional pieces are photographed and traded like sports cards.

“Generally, it’s getting your name out there and executing it well.”

But a job well done for these artists will not earn pat on the back. And be it for purposes of revolt or notoriety, graffiti is both enjoyed and lamented. It’s form is unique and its placement, in most cases, is illegal. So trains will continue to convey colorful symbolism as they pass by rural towns like Meyersdale, Rockwood and Confluence — but their purpose in society is a matter of opinion bound by law.

“They want to do something they think is nice,” Trooper Jones said. “It’s not their property.”